Lockheed Martin Joins Aerion to Build Supersonic Business Jet

Lockheed Martin recently announced that it is partnering with Reno-based aircraft company Aerion Corporation to assist with development of the AS2 supersonic business jet. The defense contractor and the aerospace startup will spend the next year developing a framework for a full partnership, which would see Lockheed pitching in on all phases of the aircraft's development, from design and engineering tests to prototype construction and FAA certification all the way to serial production of the aircraft.

“This relationship is absolutely key to creating a supersonic renaissance," said Aerion Chairman Robert M. Bass in a joint statement released by the two companies. "When it comes to supersonic know-how, Lockheed Martin’s capabilities are well known, and, in fact, legendary. We share with Lockheed Martin a commitment to the long-term development of efficient civil supersonic aircraft.”

Aerion is one of a handful of aerospace companies trying to lead a new supersonic revolution in commercial flight. The AS2 is designed to be a 12-passenger, three-engine business jet capable of Mach 1.4 cruise, which would give it an operational range of 4,200 nautical miles. At subsonic speeds, the jet could extend its range to 5,400 nautical miles. Though a prototype has yet to be built, Aerion hopes to achieve first flight of the AS2 by 2023 and to bring the supersonic jet to market by 2025.

Lockheed's experience building supersonic jets—including multiple fighters such as the F-22 and F-35 and the legendary Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird—makes the defense aviation giant a valuable partner as Aerion tackles the challenges of supersonic flight. In turn, Aerion's AS2 design could give Lockheed Martin a path back to the commercial aviation industry, something the warplane builder has largely ignored since the retirement of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in the 1980s.

“We are excited to work with Aerion on their development of the next-generation, efficient supersonic jet that will potentially serve as a platform for pioneering future supersonic aircraft,” Orlando Carvalho, Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President of Aeronautics, said in the statement.

The AS2 would be the first-ever supersonic business jet and the first commercial supersonic jet since the Concorde was retired in 2003. Aerion has been presenting the AS2 as a luxury business jet with multiple possible seat and amenity configurations. However, the jet's design would make it possible to outfit the AS2 as a small supersonic airliner or even equip the jet for military applications.

There is currently no indication that Aerion and Lockheed will work on a military variant of the AS2, but a jet that can sustain cruise speeds nearly as fast as the F-22 with about three times the Raptor's range clearly has potential military applications. From rapid-response missions with small teams to VIP transport to reconnaissance and electronic warfare support, the AS2 could be a valuable aircraft for the U.S. military.

Aerion also recently announced a partnership with GE to study supersonic engine designs for the AS2. According to a report from FlightGlobal, GE has completed a final configuration of an engine design for the AS2. A high-pressure section of a core from one of GE's proven commercial turbofans, possibly the CFM International CFM56, will be mated with a new low-pressure module for supersonic flight. As work on the final engine continues, GE is trying to figure out how to best manage the high inlet temperatures the supersonic engine will have to contest with at high altitudes.

“This is no easy task, otherwise someone would have done a civil supersonic jet before,” Brad Mottier, Vice President and General Manager of GE’s Business and General Aviation and Integrated Systems Division, told FlightGlobal.

"During the last two and a half years, Aerion advanced the aerodynamics and structural design of the AS2 through a previous engineering collaboration agreement with Airbus," reads the joint statement from Aerion and Lockheed. "Through that effort, the two companies developed a preliminary design of wing and airframe structures, systems layout, and preliminary concepts for a fly-by-wire flight control system."

Aerion, founded in 2003, has been focused on a mostly-composite supersonic business jet for more than a decade, though the firm has never actually built a plane. Lockheed Martin's involvement in the project could add valuable expertise and a proven track record building faster-than-sound jets. In addition, Lockheed has been working with NASA to design a Mach 1.2 low-boom supersonic demonstrator aircraft. Technologies from that project, known as the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), will be vital to helping Aerion build a jet that can achieve speeds of around Mach 1.2 with only a small or even a non-existent sonic boom as heard on the ground.

Current noise regulations prohibit breaking the sound barrier over land, so the AS2 would fly primarily at supersonic speeds over the ocean on international routes. However, new technologies could ultimately convince the FAA and other regulatory bodies to loosen commercial supersonic regulations, possibly allowing commercial jets to break the sound barrier over land in the future.

Aerion is trying to revolutionize business aviation, much in the same way Lockheed did with the JetStar in the late 1950s, the first dedicated business jet to enter service. Whether the AS2 will serve in additional commercial or even military roles is yet to be determined—first the plane needs to get off the ground. But with Lockheed Martin and GE taking on larger roles in the project, the Aerion AS2 just might be the supersonic revolution the aviation industry has been waiting for.

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